


Riding Lessons

by inoru_no_hoshi



Category: Firefly, Serenity (2005)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-04-03
Updated: 2012-04-03
Packaged: 2017-11-02 23:42:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 394
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/374671
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inoru_no_hoshi/pseuds/inoru_no_hoshi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>River sits awkwardly behind him, hangin' onto the back of his shirt fit to strangle it, 'til he tells her to loosen up and trust the damn horse.</i>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	Riding Lessons

**Author's Note:**

> It's cute, okay. (Also I love the image of Mal being an utterly fail horse rider. I can't remember if we get to seem him on a horse in-series, though, so it could be AU. >.>)
> 
> Written for the prompt _author's choice, author's choice, riding pillion_ on [fic_promptly](http://fic-promptly.dreamwidth.org).

Ridin' a horse is just like shootin' a gun, to Jayne: something he's always gonna know how to do, an' do well. (Somethin' to be said for growin' up on a ranch that his Mama ran while Da worked in the mines to make sure there was food on the table 'tween selling seasons.)

Of course, bein' good at it means he somehow got nominated to take River on up with him. He'd argue an' all (more than he did, anyhow), except he's _seen_ Mal a-horseback and he don't wish that on no one, Zoe's busy keepin' an eye on Mal, Inara's seat is precise and proper an' clearly not learned with an eye to havin' another behind her, an' Kaylee's got the doc up behind her. ('parently, horse ridin' ain't somethin' you learn in the Core. He'd snicker, except the man looks petrified, an' it ain't nice to laugh at a man what looks like that.)

River sits awkwardly behind him, hangin' onto the back of his shirt fit to strangle it, 'til he tells her to loosen up and trust the damn horse. "'s like your dancin'," he explains roughly, after checkin' to see nobody else was like to hear. He don't want them thinkin' he _likes_ her or nothin'. Horse is just skittish, 's all. "Y'move with 'im, an' you don't let on you're scared. He can tell."

"Too much uncertainty of how to move," River mutters, but loosens her grip and shifts on the pillion pad until she's roughly matchin' how he moves.

"Takes practice," he says, pressin' with his knees and shiftin' the reins to move the gelding further away from Mal. He don't know where Mal learned to ride, but he'd like to smack 'em upside the head on account of how bad Mal's seat is. Poor _gorram_ horse looks fit to throw him if'n they gotta ride much further. After a moment of watchin' Mal, he adds, "Y'see the captain? Whatever you do, don't copy 'im. He ain't capable of ridin' a horse any more'n you're capable of speakin' like normal folk."

She giggles and relaxes further, the gelding shakes his head and snorts softly, and she makes a soft sound as his gait smooths into an easy trot. "She sees now," she murmurs, and he smiles despite himself. Ain't like she can see his face, anyhow.


End file.
